Recently-slain Detroit rapper Rodney (Doughboy Roc) Yeargin was convicted of narcotics trafficking last summer and per sources his murder earlier this week is being investigated by authorities for links to the local drug world. The 29-year old Yeargin, signed to rap superstar Young Jeezy’s Def Jam-backed CTE label since 2013, was found shot to death behind the wheel of his car Monday afternoon on Detroit’s westside. He had done two short prison stints in the past decade for firearm offenses, the last one in 2015 ending when the weapons charges against him were dropped.

Yeargin was part of the rap group Doughboyz Cashout, one of the most prominent underground hip hop acts in the Midwest today, beloved by droves of fans for their gritty, “ghetto fabulous” lyrics and vivid storytelling about street life. The group’s music attracts millions of listens on SoundCloud and YouTube.

Arrested on April 8 in Detroit on two counts of cocaine possession with intent to distribute, Yeargin pled guilty back in June and received probation. He had already been on probation with the state of Michigan for a 2010 weapons conviction. In February 2010, Yeargin and associates were caught in a raid of a Huntington, West Virginia drug house by the FBI with OxyContin pills and several unregistered firearms.

Detroit drug pushers have been doing business in southern states like West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee for decades. West Virginia and the Huntington region has been of particular interest to hustlers and dealers from Detroit since the late 2000s.